In a significant move to streamline training and reduce redundancy, the Army has announced the elimination of 346 hours of online training for both enlisted soldiers and officers. This update, as reported by Todd South in the Army Times, reflects the Army's commitment to quality over quantity in training its personnel.
Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer highlighted the need for this change, noting that the Army hadn't reevaluated its training requirements holistically in years. The decision was made to cut back on distributed learning courses that were overwhelming soldiers with redundant content across various modes of learning, including online, in-person, and self-study formats.
Distributed learning courses, which are self-paced online instructions that soldiers could complete over several months without an instructor, will no longer be required. This change is effective immediately. Notably, structured self-development courses one through six, previously mandatory for enlisted ranks of sergeant and above, have been discontinued. Soldiers who are currently enrolled in these courses are not required to complete them, and those who haven't started will no longer need to do so.
However, the directive does not affect the common core training requirements at the Army’s Advanced Leader Course and Senior Leaders Courses. Additionally, distance learning programs linked to the Sergeant Major Course and Master Sergeant Leaders Course will continue as required.
This directive also removes the distributed learning requirement as a prerequisite for the Captains Career Course and the P920, a prerequisite for the Command and General Staff Officers’ Course.
Further details are expected to be outlined in an All Army Activities message, as per Sergeant Major Weimer's announcement. This reduction in training hours is anticipated to free up valuable time for soldiers, allowing them to focus more on their roles, personal development, and family without the burden of unnecessary and repetitive coursework.
For a more in-depth look at these changes and their implications, refer to the original article by Todd Bailey in the Army Times.